June History & Awareness

Because there are so many different national awareness and history topics for each month, we cannot cover them all. So if you would like to contribute to next month's Awareness/History Month page, if you have a particular topic/person/event you'd like to see covered, or if you have any questions, feel free to contact our Web Master.

PTSD Awareness Month

"Anyone can get PTSD at any age. This includes war veterans and survivors of physical and sexual assault, abuse, accidents, disasters and many other traumatic events. Not everyone with PTSD has been through a dangerous event. Some people get PTSD after a friend or family member experiences danger or harm. The sudden, unexpected death of a loved one can also cause PTSD."

Although Posttraumatic Stress Disorder does indeed affect our war vets; the fact is, PTSD can develop in anyone, including children.

Research tells us that 70% of all Americans within their lifetime will experience some type of major traumatic event. Out of that group, about 20% will develop symptoms of PTSD.

In addition, 10% of all women develop Posttraumatic Stress Disorder during their lifetime. It may be surprising to learn that women are two times as likely as men to suffer from PTSD. Women can be more susceptible to violence, including domestic violence, rape, and beatings.

Children who experience abuse, neglect, or molestation are also highly susceptible to PTSD sometime in their lifetime. (source)

Myth #2: PTSD sufferers aren't victims.

Without question, PTSD sufferers are victims. They’ve encountered events that, in most cases, were beyond their control and very few people experience during their lifetimes. They lack the psychological capabilities to recover from such traumas and thus need help in order to cope. PTSD is not something that should be taken lightly. It’s not something that can be ignored and forgotten. Individuals with the disorder need professional help to endure the symptoms that inhibit them from functioning normally day to day. (source)

Myth #3: People with PTSD are always unstable/violent.

Symptoms of PTSD vary depending on the person with the disorder. Angry outbursts and violence don’t always occur, even if the illness was brought forth by events involving violent crime and torture. Ultimately, how a person reacts to a traumatic event is dependent on their individual attributes and sensibilities. For example, additional symptoms may include memory disturbances and the inability to connect and reconnect with others. The severity of each symptom increases and decreases and almost never remains constant. (source)

Myth #4: Experiencing PTSD is a sign of mental weakness.

This is a common PTSD myth that can be difficult to combat. While the majority of people who go through a traumatic ordeal do go on to readjust to normal life after a period of time, not everyone can, and it has nothing to do with mental weakness.

Many other factors go into determining whether or not someone goes on to develop Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, including but not limited to:

Myth #5: PTSD affects someone immediately after a traumatic ordeal. If time has passed, someone is no longer at risk for PTSD.

While symptoms for PTSD often arise within the first 3 months after a traumatic event, many times it takes months or even years for symptoms to appear. To make it even more confusing, some people experience symptoms rather continuously for years; but in others, symptoms may come and go through the years, such as in the case of victims of childhood abuse.

The nature of PTSD can make it very difficult for people to recognize PTSD in themselves. So much time may have passed that they do not associate their symptoms with trauma from their past.

In addition, victims of domestic violence often don’t recognize that prolonged experience of abuse from their partners increases their risk for PTSD. (source)